The present invention relates to integrated circuit devices and more particularly to battery-powered integrated circuits with low power consumption.
Many integrated circuits, such as static random access memory ("SRAM") devices, rely on batteries as backup power supplies to retain the data stored within them while the equipment in which they are used is turned off or the power supply to the equipment has failed. Such integrated circuits are becoming more complex, thus placing greater demands on such backup batteries. Although battery technology is improving, increases in battery capabilities are not keeping up with the increasing power requirements of the integrated circuit devices they serve. There is, accordingly, a need to reduce the power consumption of integrated circuits when used in a battery backup mode.
Additionally, portable electronic devices (computers, cellular phones, etc.) rely upon batteries to supply operational power during general use. Such devices employ integrated circuit devices, which contribute to battery power consumption and reduced operating time between battery rechargings. There is, accordingly, a need to reduce the power consumption of integrated circuits used in portable electronic devices in order to extend the time of operation on a single charge of the battery.